Major, Spaulding come back to stun Dover

Thursday

Oct 11, 2012 at 3:15 AMOct 11, 2012 at 5:21 AM

By Mike Whaleymwhaley@fosters.com

DOVER ­— It's been an uphill struggle all season long for the Spaulding High School boys soccer team.It took a “downhill” turn on Wednesday to perhaps turn the Red Raiders' season around. Spaulding scored four second-half goals, three by Logan Major, to come from behind and beat rival Dover on the road, 4-3, in wet Division I action.Held scoreless through the first 52 minutes of the game, Spaulding (2-10) struck for four goals over the final 28 minutes to shock the Green Wave (2-8-3), who had built a 3-0 lead. Freshman Tom Butler scored first for Spaulding in the 52nd minute, tapping the ball in during a mix up in front after a corner kick by Mitchell Cyr.Then it was The Logan Major Show.The senior forward netted three straight goals over the final 24 minutes of the game. He headed in his first in the 56th minute from Nate St. Cyr and then followed with two breakaway scores. The game-winner came in the 78th minute.“Coach said at halftime, 'Seniors this is your last chance. You've got to put it together'” Major said. “After coach said that, I took it upon myself, being a captain, with the hard work of the rest of my guys, managed to put me in for three.”Last year on this same Bellamy Field, the Green Wave scored two goals in the final minute to beat Spaulding, 3-2.“The first thing Andy (Allen) said to me was 'this means next year I'm going to be the one who comes form behind and wins the game,'” said Spaulding coach Dan Curran.”They did it to us last year, we did it to them this year.” Curran felt the “downhill” edge worked to his team's advantage.“On the bus ride over here, I said to my (assistant coach), we're going to be attacking this goal (near the parking lot) in the second half,” Curran said. “Because every year we've played here, the team that's been attacking that goal in the second half, always seems to win. It's got this downhill slope toward the goal. That area (in front of the goal) is just disgusting right now. I said we've got to be going that way in the second half to have a chance.”Dover went up 2-0 in the first half going “downhill,” scoring goals in the 4th and 36th minute. Aaron Esparza and Ryan Runola were the goal scorers with Greg Bell and Devon Chervious adding assists.The Green Wave widened the gap to 3-0 in the 43rd minute when Bell followed Esparza's blast. Spaulding goalie Spencer Hoyt made a great diving save, but knocked the ball to Bell crashing from the left and he tucked it into the left corner.“I think we got a little too relaxed,” Dover's Allen said. “As the rain kept coming, this side of the field, you look in front of the box, you can't get footing. Credit to them, they took advantage of it. They got the ball down there in front of the net and the kid finished. I really feel like the weather helped them out as far as the sides of the field.“I still feel like we outplayed them,” Allen added. “We had more shots. We had more corner kicks. We had more opportunities. I guess you could say, literally, we got stuck in the mud today.”Hoyt kept the Red Raiders in the game with 13 saves, including four of the spectacular variety. Previous to Major's game-winner, Dover attacked the Red Raider goal and Esparza's hard shot from atop the 18 was caught by a leaping Hoyt.“I just thought I hope I can get this,” Hoyt said. “I saw the ball come to be and try to get it deflected at least.”Nick Potter had four saves for the Green Wave.“Logan is probably one of the top five hardest working players I've coached at Spaulding,” Curran added. “There's not a better way for him to leave the Spaulding-Dover rivalry, then with a game like this. It couldn't happen to a better kid, or committed kid. He just loves the game of soccer.”Spaulding hosts Merrimack Friday and its schedule (four games to play) lends itself in its favor for making a run to make the tournament, which would likely require two more wins. Dover plays at Bedford Friday.

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